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ICT applications + eGovernment: improving our life quality

bitic — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 09:55:13 +0000

Every day there are new entrepreneurs developing and implementing new technologies for the society. Those ideas are affecting our lives directly and indirectly.

The common perception is that technological innovations change our day to day as soon as we introduce them to our live. However, very often, they alter our manners indirectly through the social environment.

Bit by bit, new technologies are becoming fundamental tools for the public administration routine. Therefore, it is being promoted the digitalization of the governments, and we are getting closer to the eGovernance concept.

According to the UNESCO, “E-Governance is the public sector’s use of information and communication technologies with the aim of improving information and service delivery, encouraging citizen participation in the decision-making process and making government more accountable, transparent and effective.”[1]

Consequently, and as the United Nations explains, “governments must increasingly begin to rethink in terms of e-government – and e-governance – placing greater emphasis on institutional linkages between and among the tiered government structures in a bid to create synergy for inclusive sustainable development. An important aspect of this approach is to widen the scope of e-government for a transformative role of the government towards cohesive, coordinated, and integrated processes and institutions through which such sustainable development takes place[2].

A good example of this technological development applied to public administration is one of the services offered by Bi-Tic: Electronic Management. This service can reduce costs and streamlines administrative procedures, especially on the scope of road works and street works.

As a conclusion, and more slowly than most of the companies would like, ICT are an essential part of the public management. Thus, citizens perceived improvements in their daily lives.

Marta Masqué Barri

Communication and International Trade Specialist

[1] United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. E-Governance [online]. France, Paris: [1] United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 14,01,2011. [Consultation: 07.07.2014]. Available at: <http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=3038&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html>

[2] United Nations. E-Government Survey 2012 [online]. France, Paris: [2] United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2012. [Consultation: 07.07.2014]. Available at: <http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan048065.pdf>

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Why is so necessary the works digital management?

bitic — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 14:37:21 +0000

In a city like Barcelona, thousands of works are carried out in the public roads every year in which multiple actors are involved and millions of euros are invested. This provokes the interruption of the usual traffic in the concerned area and the alteration of life for local residents.

In any work process affecting the underground of public roads there is a risk of damaging the utility facilities that could leave local residents without electricity, water, telephone services and gas. To avoid these risks and carry out works with maximum efficiency and minimal budget, several cities have already eWise available.

eWise is a web portal or SaaS that centralizes information and makes easier the works management with a significant reduction of costs and processing times. eWise benefits from sinergies and economies of scale.

Since 2009, eWise is used to better manage the works on public roads in the city of Barcelona.

Thanks to eWise, construction developers achieve a better coordination that reduces time and administrative costs, in other words greater efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, eWise ensures the compliance with sectoral and local regulations, as well as the monitoring of the provided and requested information.

Marta Masqué Barri

Communication and International Trade Specialist

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What is Smart City

bitic — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 09:14:50 +0000

The so-called smartcities are cities based on the knowledge and the use of new technologies in order to improve the quality of life for citizens at all levels: mobility, energy, services, economy, environment…

The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are a growing and essential part of the cities of the future.

GIS systems consist of the creation and storage of data, its subsequent analysis and the possibility of sharing this data in an efficient and effective way. These are technologies that improve services, infrastructures and health through new channels or just enabling people to save money.

Although technological progress has been accelerating and as Benjamin Weinryb Grohsgal explains in Smart City Solutions, the use of GIS for a better governance and further information about the city is not prevented by technology but by the governmental organization, culture, budgets and the difficulty of using some provided information.

In current conditions, the companies developing new GIS are more capable and therefore responsible for encouraging the gubernamental and social interest to implement these technologies as rapidly as possible.

Medium and large cities have perhaps fewer problems to gave way to the digitization of services and implement the GIS technologies with all the advantages. But small towns and municipalities that have less financial, technological and management resources can be the greatest obstacle for the development and universal implementation of GIS.

As Weinryb Groshgal says, to achieve a universal database, essential for establishing GIS systems, may take many years.

Marta Masqué Barri

Communication and International Trade Specialist

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